Nanomedicine

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Transcript of Nanomedicine

Advantages of NanomedicineEthicsArguments against NanomedicineFear of the UnknownCurrent use of NanomedicineMy opinionNanomedicine is definitely an exciting development and it has the potential to revolutionise the medical field. Nanomedicine's advantages are currently outweighed by its disadvantages because not much is known about it; it is too much of a risk if Nanomedicine is to be made available to people now. I believe with further research and development Nanomedicine's advantages will significantly outweigh its disadvantages in the near future and it will help solve many issues such as cancer, and will completely revolutionise the world of medicine and science.Analysis of sources 1. Colorado.edu, (2014). Nanomedicine: Small Particles, Big Concerns | Honors Journal | CU-Boulder. [online] Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/honorsjournal/content/nanomedicine-small-particles-big-concerns [Accessed 16 May. 2014]

This article had alot of detail but was very easy to both read and understand. The source seems to be credible as it is written by a university and there was no bias as both sides of the argument were covered fairly equally.

This website article gave a brief yet very informative introduction into Nanomedicine in a very easy to comprehend way. The source seems credible as it is also written by a University. However, only the positives of Nanomedicine were discussed and the negatives were not discussed at all.

This website gave very informative view of Nanomedicine and was very easy to read and understand. The credibility of the sourcemay be disputed but it seems as if it is a credible source of information. Both sides of the argument is discussed and there are articles for each side of the argument.

This gave a very insightful view into the benefits of Nanomedicine and the article was very easy to follow. The source seems credible as the website ends with a '.org' but it did not discussboth sides of the argument because it is an article discussing the benefits of Nanomedicine.

This website provided alot of detailed informaiton regarding both the benefits and risks of nanomedicine in a very easy to follow manner. The source seems credible as the website ends with a '.org'. It discussed both sides of the argument but probably gave more information regarding the benefits of Nanomedicine.Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine has the ability to allow diseases to be detected before complications occur, once diseases are detected it can then be treated by using targeted drug delivery.Early Diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes can make a huge difference in ensuring the well being of a patient and it can stop the disease from becoming more serious. These diseases are diagnosed by utilising several disease specific techniques. An example of this is the use of nanoparticles for early diagnosis of an infectious disease. Nanoparticles are attached to molecules in the blood stream that indicate the start of an infection. When it is scanned for Raman scattering the nanoparticles enhance the signal which allows for the detection of molecules that indicate an infectious disease.Once diseases are detected, they can be treated by using targeted drug delivery systems such as nanovehicles which releases the medicine into the source of the disease rather than it being administered through the blood supply which results in only a small amount of the drug reaching the targeted area. Cost EffectiveNanomedicine will allow early diagnosis of diseases, and more effective drugs that will lessen the need for hospitalisation. Less raw materials will be needed to create drugs which will result in medicine being more cost effective in the future once the initial costs of research and development are dealt with.What is Nanotechnology and Nano medicine?

Nanotechnology is a growing scientific field which deals with functional systems, and machines and devices such as nanomachines and nano robots working at a molecular level; the term nano refers to the very small size of the devices as a nano equals one billionth of a metre.

Nanomedicine is the medically applied form of nanotechnology and is used to treat diseases and improve health by targeting and manipulating atoms and molecules in the nanoscale.

Targeted Drug Delivery SystemsTargeted drug delivery systems are currently the most common Nanomedicine products, they work by delivering the medicine to the diseased area and targeting the medicine on that particular cell/tissue/organ, whereas normal drug delivery systems are administered through the blood supply which results in large parts of the body being affected by the drug.by Akira Ridwan 10BNanomedicine is currently being used in targeted drug delivery and regenrative medicines.AdvantagesThe advantages of targeted drug delivery systems over normal drug delivery systems include reduced side effects due to the drug targeting only the affected area,less frequent dosages taken by a patient,and treatment effectiveness and patient safety are increased.Regenerative medicinesRegenerative medicines are also available although developments are ongoing and it is not as common as targeted drug delivery systems. Regenerative medicines could prevent damage to vital organs and repair human cells, skin, tissues ,b ones, and organs by preventing cell death or injecting regeneration- competent cells from adult or embryonic stem cells.DevelopmentsAn example of a development that has been made is the 'spray on skin' developed by Australian Dr Fiona Wood and scientist Marie Stoner. 'Spray on skin' reduces the time needed to produce enough cells to cover major burns from 21 days with previous techniques of skin culturing to five days.Future uses of NanomedicineNanomedicine can potentially allow and enable the early detection and prevention of diseases, accurate diagnoses which can be delivered more quickly and cost efficiently as well as advanced imaging tools which will allow doctors to understand the body better.Improved Diagnostic and treatment accuracyNanomedicine is not as ethically and religiously polarising as other medical developments such as embryonic stem cells because it does not rely completely on the use of embryonic stem cells. Nanomedicine can rely on the use of other stem cells such as adult stem cells and amniotic stem cells for regenerative medicines.Nanomedicine is still a fairly new science thus research and development is still ongoing and there is still a lot that has not yet been explored; We are yet to fully understand the dangers and risks of Nanomedicine. Examples of risks associated with Nanomedicine include toxicity caused to certain tissues if injected nanoparticles cross the blood-brain barrier, and harm caused to the body by the unintentional inhalation of nanoparticles.Unpredictability Because Nanomedicine is still at an early stage of development, the effects of Nanomedicine can be unpredictable and may lead to disastrous consequences. This was the case during a well-known trial that took place in London in 2006.The nanomedicine known as TGN1412 was given to 6 male volunteers and within an hour of administration, all the volunteers suffered various medical complications including back pain, headaches, vomiting, and Diarrhea. This failed test shows that we are still yet to truly understand Nanomedicine and its behaviours. From an ethical viewpoint, patients have the right to know about what is being administered into their bodies, this is where Nanomedicine ultimately falls short as there is still a lack of scientific knowledge of Nanomedicine.Financial concernsFinancial concerns include the loss of jobs for those who produce and distribute conventional medicines, and the initial high cost of Nanomedicine.Farmers and factory workers who produce and distribute current conventional medicine may face difficulties and may even lose their jobs if Nanomedicine is introduced as it does not rely too much on natural substances. Agricultural countries will face financial losses if nanomaterials that are produced in developed countries are more popular than their agricultural products. Initial costs of creating Nanomedicine may be quite high and thus most products will be quite expensive in the short term, this may price out poorer people and may lead to treatment being unavailable for those who are less privileged.